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“I bet they will too.” I shift position and address the baby. “What should I put on our meatball sub, little man?”
Micah’s son burps. A line of drool falls from his chin.
Charlotte inches over and inspects my sandwich. “Ew. You seriously just put chili peppers on top of meatballs.”
“Yup. Lots of them. Try it.”
She makes a very loud gagging sound and snatches a chocolate chip cookie. The kid doesn’t know what she’s missing.
Dani suggests eating outside. With a heaping plate of food in one hand and a baby in the other, I claim a prime spot at the patio table. Charlotte stakes out the chair beside me and regales us with a series of fifth grade tales. She has many. I didn’t realize fifth grade came with so much drama. It’s not the first time I’ve felt amazed over how much Charlotte reminds me of Dani, using her hands a lot and smiling like an angel after delivering a line of biting wit.
Across the table, Dani perches on the edge of Gage’s knee and nibbles on a square of pita bread. Gage keeps an arm around her waist while making careful selections from the three plates in front of him. Another OCD thing, separating food. He likely views my plate, a mismatched colorful jumble, as a crime against nature.
Dani swings her soft brown hair over one shoulder. Her eyes shut in a brief moment of bliss when Gage curls his arm around her more tightly. There are plenty of things I can’t recall from my early years but I can flash back to the day they met like it happened last week. It was the first day of junior year at West Emerald Prep. Matilda ordered us to give her brand new stepdaughter a ride to school. Gage, rude as ever, bluntly refused. He said he didn’t pick up stray animals. He wasn’t kidding. Then he offered to tie Dani to the roof rack as a compromise.
I laughed. Micah laughed. Dani thought we were dicks.
We were.
While my mind wanders, Dash takes an interest in the food. He’s getting a lot more grabby these days and manages to seize a chili pepper in his fist. The thing is well on its way to his mouth before I gently pry it out of his palm.
“Trust me, buddy, you don’t want that.”
He pokes out his lower lip and makes a growling sound. I’m pretty sure he’s pissed. Just like his daddy. Cracks me up.
“Baby boy is hungry,” Dani says and starts to move from Gage’s lap.
Charlotte, however, is already running for the door. “I’ll get his bottle.”
“Top shelf of the fridge,” Dani calls.
“I know!” Charlotte shouts back. She returns in seconds and waves around a full bottle. “I want to feed him, Dani. Can Ipleasefeed him?”
“Of course. Just be careful with the bottle. Tess goes through a lot to pump that milk.”
Charlotte settles down in a cushy chair and holds her arms out when I carry Dash over. He’s not at all unhappy to be transferred to the lap of his adoring aunt, who carefully aims the bottle at his mouth.
“My little nephew,” Charlotte coos. “I love you so very much.”
Total wags his tail and whines, maybe feeling left out for the moment. His furry head gets a pat from my palm before I return to the table to finish my sandwich.
“How’s business?” I ask Gage, even though I find the business world about as interesting as the view of grass growing.
He knows this. Which is why he only bothers with a simple answer. “Lucrative.”
Before Gage’s shitbag of a father choked on his last breath, he had big dreams for his international empire. Gage enjoyed dismantling those plans. When he’s not helping Dani manage the various charitable organizations launched with the proceeds, Gage is putting his shrewd money making skills to use by investing in projects all over Em City. I don’t exactly keep track but I understand he dabbles in everything from the restaurant business to commercial real estate.
“What about you?” Gage pops a wedge of cheese in his mouth. “You staying busy?”
I swallow a large bite of food and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “The team doesn’t start training again until July. Until then, I’m on my own with keeping this superior form in peak condition.”
Dani’s attention had been on Charlotte and Dash but now she shifts her focus to me. “I heard you were at the fundraising gala for the children’s hospital last night.”
“Yup. My hand got numb from signing so many autographs.” This reminds me that I need to send over the big check I pledged for the hospital’s sports therapy facility. Knowing Dani and Gage won’t mind if I pull my phone out for a minute, I fire off a quick text to my awesome assistant, Angela. Three dots appear instantly. Seconds later, there’s a ding from her response.
Already done.
I respond with a corny thumbs up emoji and can see she’s typing again so I wait.
